Apparel

So apparently Inov-8 and I have a certain pact made. I get my hands on their shoes and then I break a cardinal athlete rule. I use them for their first trial on a race day. We then examine for carnage or shenanigans to see how they did. Like its predecessor, the 212s, the X-Talon 230s are some pretty sweet looking Off-Trail/OCR Shoes. They have a little more conservative color scheme, but you feel like these are one tough shoe. Certainly ready to tackle any course you are about to face.

It wasn't long ago that I had found my perfect Hydration Vest. However, you know as well as I do that things change and keeping an open mind is paramount. I had recently come across a reinvented vest from Salomon in the hopes that I could find something a bit lighter that sports a lower profile than my everyday wear. Enter the ADV SKIN 5 SET, a sleek, low-profile, lightweight vest from the team at Salomon. Not only is it very light, it looks good too.

We are are all looking for the right shoe, the right pack, the right pants, the right... or anything for that matter. With every single shoe manufacturer jockeying for your hard earned cash, which of them should get it? There are brands like Reebok, Merrell, Salomon, Altra, inov-8, Ice Bug, and the list goes on and on. For years, I have been running in many of them, but the inov-8 200's have been my go-to shoe for just about any race. Well, Inov-8 has another shoe, the X-Talon 225's, and they look sexy.

When I first heard about Spartan Race's Winter Sprint, I knew it was something that I had to do. I have never been a fan of running when it is cold, but something about putting snow and obstacle course racing together entices me. Mostly, I spend my winters hunkered down in a weight room packing on some muscle, and fat, for the upcoming race season. Having an extra layer of fat means more fuel for the upcoming race season that usually kicks off for me with an Ultra Beast in NJ. This year, however, would be a bit different. This year, I would run no matter the weather, no matter the conditions; like the United States Postal Service, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

Let's face it, there are few things that an OCRAddict will usually have more than they need. For some, it is pants, others, shorts. For me, I have more shoes than I know what to do with. I don't know what it is, but I just can't rest until I have tried them all. I do have a goto pair for certain races, but Altra thinks they have a shoe that can take the top spot and provide me with a shoe that can tackle it all. Enter the Altra Superior 2.0.

There is nothing worse than running the race of your life and you take a slip, smash your knee or clip your arm and knowing you are going to be limping along the course or won't be able to grab onto an obstacle. Sleeves and leggings only do so much, mainly slight compression and cosmetic appeal, and most pads out there are bulky; while helpful they can be their own hazard as they are more likely to snag onto something like barbed wire. However, I found something new. Something came along that has a shot at meeting all my needs: sturdy, takes a hit, and keeps a low profile to avoid snagging.

We’ve all been there; we overdid it on Leg Day, on race day, or just not giving our bodies time to recover and now it hurts with every stride. After BFX San Antonio, I couldn’t run more than a 5k before I had to shut it down. Rest, ice, and stretching were not doing the trick and I was quickly growing frustrated. It was just the start of race season and having to shut down my cardio was not an option. I wanted to explore. I found the Opedix KneeTec Leggings and everything changed quickly. These are not your normal leggings and it shows, or more appropriately, it feels.

I have no issue admitting that I wear tights, well not tights exactly, but... for training. If you have been reading my "'Till Killington" articles, you will note that I have been doing far more running than I detailed out in my OCRAddicts Workout Routine article. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do as much running as I think I will need to have in the bag before Killington so I have been on the hunt for something that can take my running to the next level and allow the workouts that I do log to be more effective. Physiclo thinks they may have the answer.

If you have ever registered for a race early in the season, or late in the season for that matter, you will undoubtedly have started your morning off with a bit of a chill in the air. You know you will heat up once you start running, but before is a different story. Outside of wearing layers of clothes and ditching them somewhere on the course, or freezing your butt off, there has really been no clear solution, until now. Enter the Sheddable Shell WeatherShield Jacket and Pants.

Somewhere around Independence Day, I saw these Patriotic, and absolutely Sexy, new shoes starting to raise their head like a gopher in your yard. The Shoe was the Acceleritas OCR in Red, White and Blue glory. Honestly, I knew I had to get my hands on a pair. They would look just fabulous with my THEE Lone Star Spartan Jersey.